The Power of Music

This evening I sat down to write a post designed to improve your performance and to be honest I was feeling a little flat. I did a really tough cycle today in preparation for Race Across America. There are so many things I could put down for you, but it just wasn’t flowing onto the page.

Sometimes, even the best of us are lacking a little motivation.

Then I did something that is guaranteed to change mood, increase energy and release the little endorphins in the brain. I even used this great tool to boost my performance on the bike today.

I plugged my headphones in to the laptop and pressed the play button for some music!

Can music really make a difference to your performance?

According to Dr Costas Karageorghis who is head of Brunel University’s music in sport research department, music is “sport’s legal drug”, capable of reducing an athlete’s perception of effort by 10 per cent while increasing performance by up to 20 per cent.

Music has also been shown to increase productivity in the workplace, increase emotional energy and has been used in therapeutic situations.

My advice for you is simple. When you feel you need a little lift, press the play button!

One of my all time favourite cyclists, Jens Voigt made news when he broke the one-hour cycle record. Before his attempt he released the playlist he would be listening to during the event. For anyone interested to know what Jens was listening to, I have put it below.

Warmup:• REO Speedwagon “Keep on Loving You”• Brian Adams “Summer of 69″• Journey “Wheel in the Sky”• Air Supply “Making Love out of Nothing at All“• Metallica “Turn the Page”